The Second International Festival of Professional Theaters for Children and Youth Novi Sad Theater Festival has been a safe haven for our children and young people and their parents in the past seven days. We express our gratitude to all the ensembles who arrived in Novi Sad and showed us the best of what they can do. And now the awards, which were decided by a jury consisting of a costume designer Milica Grbić Komazec, a journalist Olivera Milošević and an actress Maja Lučič.
DECISIONS OF THE JURY
- Grand Prix - award for the best play as a whole is awarded by the jury to the performance "Ronia, The Robber’s Daughter", directed by Jakub Maksimov, Theater for Children and Youth, Skopje.
The performance is exceptional and layered in all segments, at the same time archaic and modern, and has all the components that make it outstanding.
- Best Director Award is awarded to Tamara Kučinović for the play "Frozen Songs" of the City Puppet Theater Rijeka.
Extremely precise and skilful, Tamara Kučinović connected all segments of the play and created a realistic, but at the same time warm and imaginative theatrical story.
- Best Actor/Actress Award - Jelena Trkulja for multiple roles in the play "Heidi", directed by Đurđa Tešić, “Boško Buha" Theatre.
Jelena Trkulja interpreted three different characters in the play, which is characterized above all by collective play. Her acting was utterly believable, witty and suggestive.
- Animation Mastery Award - Matea Jankovoska for the role of Ronia in the play "Ronia – The Robber’s Daughter", directed by Jakub Maksimov, Theater for children and young people - Skopje.
Matea Jankovska skillfully animates the puppets, energetically and heartily playing a brave and daring girl, using a wide range of animating and acting skills.
- Special Award for Authenticity and Originality - the play "Clowns’ Houses", theater "Merlin" from Berlin, authors Dimitris Stamu and Demetra Papada.
The award is given for authenticity and originality, for showing modernity through a specific visual and dramaturgical expression in a play that through dark humor and grotesque tells a story about us today.
- Special Award for Overall Impression is awarded by the jury to Alek Ćurčić, for the performance of the play "Geometry of the Soul", directed by Olga Zečeva, from the "Plus" theater from Spain. The award is given for the overall and stunning impression when using various performing arts techniques in the play "Geometry of the Soul", which is a good example of contemporary theatrical expression.
- Special Award for Collective Acting and Animation to the ensemble of the play "Frozen Songs" directed by Tamara Kučinović, City Puppet Theater Rijeka.
The ensemble of the play showed exceptional skill in expressing subtle emotions through puppets, insisting on the precision of synchronized, realistic movement expression.
Maja Lučić, president of the jury
Olivera Milošević, member of the jury
Milica Grbić Komazec, member of the jury